Growth of Au nanocrystals on CdS nanorods

Nanorods of S²⁻ rich CdS were synthesized by a reaction of excess S versus Cd precursors in the presence of ethylene diamine. The photoluminescence (PL) emission from the S²⁻ rich CdS nanorods was broad with a peak at ∼710 nm, which was 40 nm longer in wavelength than the PL peak from Cd²⁺ rich CdS (∼670 nm) nanorods. The influence of surface electron or hole trap states on the luminescent pathway of CdS nanorods will be discussed to explain these shifts in wavelength. Nanocrystals of Au ∼2 nm in size were grown on S²⁻ rich surfaces of CdS nanorods. Significant luminescence quenching was observed from the Au nanocrystals on the CdS nanorods due to interfacial charge separation. Change separation by the Au nanocrystals on the CdS resulted in enhanced photocatalytic degradation of Procion red mix-5B (PRB) dye in an aqueous solution under UV light irradiation.     

Nano-Engineered Carbon Fibre-Based Piezoelectric Smart Composites for Energy Harvesting and Self-Powered Sensing

The integration of piezoelectric materials onto carbon fiber (CF) can add energy harvesting and self-power sensing capabilities enabling great potential for “Internet of Things” (IoT) applications in motion tracking, environmental sensing, and personal portable electronics. Herein, a CF-based smart composite is developed by integrating piezoelectric poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)/CuSCN-coated ZnO nanorods onto the CF surfaces with no detrimental effect on the mechanical properties of the composite, forming composites using two different polymer matrices: highly flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and more rigid epoxy. The PDMS-coated piezoelectric smart composite can serve as an energy harvester and a self-powered sensor for detecting variations in impact acceleration with increasing output voltage from 1.4 to 7.6 V under impact acceleration from 0.1 to 0.4 m s⁻². Using epoxy as the matrix for a CF-reinforced plastic (CFRP) device with sensing and detection functions produces a voltage varying from 0.27 to 3.53 V when impacted at acceleration from 0.1 to 0.4 m s⁻², with a lower output compared to the PDMS-coated device attributed to the greater stiffness of the matrix. Finally, spatially sensitive detection is demonstrated by positioning two piezoelectric structures at different locations, which can identify the location as well as the level of the impacting force from the fabricated device.     

High Rate,Long Lifespan LiV3O8 Nanorods as a Cathode Material for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

LiV₃O₈ nanorods with controlled size are successfully synthesized using a nonionic triblock surfactant Pluronic‐F127 as the structure directing agent. X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy techniques are used to characterize the samples. It is observed that the nanorods with a length of 4–8 µm and diameter of 0.5–1.0 µm distribute uniformly. The resultant LiV₃O₈ nanorods show much better performance as cathode materials in lithium‐ion batteries than normal LiV₃O₈ nanoparticles, which is associated with the their unique micro–nano‐like structure that can not only facilitate fast lithium ion transport, but also withstand erosion from electrolytes. The high discharge capacity (292.0 mAh g^?1 at 100 mA g^?1), high rate capability (138.4 mAh g^?1 at 6.4 A g^?1), and long lifespan (capacity retention of 80.5% after 500 cycles) suggest the potential use of LiV₃O₈ nanorods as alternative cathode materials for high‐power and long‐life lithium ion batteries. In particular, the synthetic strategy may open new routes toward the facile fabrication of nanostructured vanadium‐based compounds for energy storage applications.     

A Metal–Polyphenol Network Coated Nanotheranostic System for Metastatic Tumor Treatments

As a characteristic trait of most tumor types, metastasis is the major cause of the death of patients. In this study, a photothermal agent based on gold nanorod is coated with metal (Gd³⁺)‐organic (polyphenol) network to realize combination therapy for metastatic tumors. This nanotheranostic system significantly enhances antitumor therapeutic effects in vitro and in vivo with the combination of photothermal therapy (PTT) and chemotherapy, also can remarkably prevent the invasion and metastasis due to the presence of polyphenol. After the treatment, an 81% decrease in primary tumor volumes and a 58% decrease in lung metastasis are observed. In addition, the good performance in magnetic resonance imaging, computerized tomography, and photothermal imaging of the nanotheranostic system can realize image‐guided therapy. The multifunctional nanotheranostic system will find a great potential in diagnosis and treatment integration in tumor treatments, and broaden the applications of PTT treatment.     

Optical Properties of Self‐Assembled Cellulose Nanocrystals Films Suspended at Planar–Symmetrical Interfaces

Hierarchically structured materials comprising rod‐like, chiral, nanoparticles are commonly encountered in nature as they can form assemblies with exceptional optical and mechanical characteristics. These include cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), which have a large potential for the fabrication of bioinspired materials mimicking those advanced properties. Fine‐tuning the optomechanical properties of assemblies obtained from CNCs hinges on the transformations from suspensions of liquid crystals to long‐range order in the dry state. So far, associated transitions have been studied using trivial interfaces such as planar substrates. Such transitions are explored as they evolve onto meshed supports. The meshed substrate offers a complex topology, as is encountered in nature, for the formation of CNCs films. The CNCs self‐assembly occurs under confinement and support of the framework bounding the mesh openings. This leads to coexisting suspended and supported nanoparticle layers exhibiting nematic and/or chiral nematic order. Optical microscopy combined with crossed polarizers indicate that the formation of the suspended films occurs via intermediate gelation or kinetic arrest of CNCs across the mesh's open areas. The formation of self‐standing, ultrathin films of CNCs with tunable optical properties, such as selective reflections in the visible range (structural color), is demonstrated by using the presented simple and scalable approach.     

Spinel-layered integrate structured nanorods with both high capacity and superior high-rate capability as cathode material for lithium-ion batteries

Spinel phase LiMn2O4 was successfully embedded into monoclinic phase layeredstructured Li2MrnO3 nanorods,and these spinel-layered integrate structured nanorods showed both high capacities and superior high-rate capabilities as cathode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).Pristine Li2MnO3 nanorods were synthesized by a simple rheological phase method using α-MnO2 nanowires as precursors.The spinel-layered integrate structured nanorods were fabricated by a facile partial reduction reaction using stearic acid as the reductant.Both structural characterizations and electrochemical properties of the integrate structured nanorods verified that LiMn2O4 nanodomains were embedded inside the pristine Li2MnO3 nanorods.When used as cathode materials for LIBs,the spinel-layered integrate structured Li2MnO3 nanorods (SL-Li2MnO3) showed much better performances than the pristine layered-structured Li2MnO3 nanorods (L-Li2MnO3).When charge-discharged at 20 mA·g-1 in a voltage window of 2.0-4.8 V,the SL-Li2MnO3 showed discharge capadties of 272.3 and 228.4 mAh.g-1 in the first and the 60th cycles,respectively,with capacity retention of 83.8％.The SL-Li2MnO3 also showed superior high-rate performances.When cycled at rates of 1 C,2 C,5 C,and 10 C (1 C =200 mA·g-1) for hundreds of cycles,the discharge capacities of the SL-Li2MnO3 reached 218.9,200.5,147.1,and 123.9 mAh·g-1,respectively.The superior performances of the SL-Li2MnO3 are ascribed to the spineMayered integrated structures.With large capacities and superior high-rate performances,these spinel-layered integrate structured materials are good candidates for cathodes of next-generation high-power LIBs.     

Cesium lead halide perovskite triangular nanorods as high-gain medium and effective cavities for multiphoton-pumped lasing

High-performance multiphoton-pumped lasers based on cesium lead halide perovskite nanostructures are promising for nonlinear optics and practical frequency upconversion devices in integrated photonics.However,the performance of such lasers is highly dependent on the quality of the material and cavity,which makes their fabrication challenging.Herein,we demonstrate that cesium lead halide perovskite triangular nanorods fabricated via vapor methods can serve as gain media and effective cavities for multiphoton-pumped lasers.We observed blue-shifts of the lasing modes in the excitation fluence-dependent lasing spectra at increased excitation powers,which fits well with the dynamics of Burstein-Moss shifts caused by the band filling effect.Moreover,efficient multiphoton lasing in CsPbBr3 nanorods can be realized in a wide excitation wavelength range (700-1,400 nm).The dynamics of multiphoton lasing were investigated by time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy,which indicated that an electron-hole plasma is responsible for the multiphoton-pumped lasing.This work could lead to new opportunities and applications for cesium lead halide perovskite nanostructures in frequency upconversion lasing devices and optical interconnect systems.